MONROE — As soon as the Western Heritage Museum opened, founder Jerry Senner started thinking about growing.
Now, after three years of planning and about a year of construction, the museum is settling into its expanded space, which has an additional 840 square feet of display room.
“We had it so crowded it was really hard to get people in and out of there,” Senner said.
The volunteer-run museum opened at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in September 2007, the brainchild of Senner, a Monroe dairy farmer.
He wanted to give families a chance to have a hands-on experience with antique machinery — the type of items once commonplace in Snohomish County. Tractors, threshers and chain saws all were available.
While those touched on outdoor work such as logging and farming, the new wing has a more domestic feel. Visitors can get a glimpse of washing machines with moving parts, kitchenware, a sewing machine and a loom.
The expansion also let the museum change the location of its front door, positioning it so it faces the fairgrounds. Senner expects that will improve foot traffic. It’s certainly an improvement over the entryway’s old set-up.
“No one could find where it was at,” Senner said.
The expansion was funded with $14,000 in grant money for historic preservation from Snohomish County and another $16,000 in private funds, Senner said.
He and his volunteers don’t plan to sit idle now that the work is done. There’s already talk of another expansion.
“We want to put a two-story addition on there, plus some extra wing space, Senner said. “That’s what we want to do now.”
Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455; arathbun@heraldnet.com.
Visit the museum
The museum is located at the southeast corner of the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.
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